Beijing, Jan 16 : India, China and Russia today agreed
that Afghanistan’s stability and security are important to the
region against the backdrop of US plan to remove its troops
from the war-torn country, raising fears of the reemergence of
Taliban and other al-Qaeda linked elements.

The trilateral meeting of the three major emerging powers in the region followed the first India-China dialogue on
Afghanistan held here last year to discuss mutual concerns and
ideas to address problems emanating from US troop withdrawal.

“The three sides exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan and agreed that security in Afghanistan is
important to the country and the region,” officials said here
about the talks.

“They reiterated support for a strong, united, stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. They also agreed to meet again,” the officials said.

Deputy National Security Advisor Nehchal Sandhu led the Indian delegation at the talks. Like India, China too concerned over the reemergence of alQaeda and its likely impact on Muslim Uygur majority Xinjiang province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.

China is battling a major separatist movement led by the East Trukistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate group, in the province.

China, which looks to play a major role in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops, has invested in mines as well as infrastructure development there.

Replying to a question on today’s meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said, “The development of
situation in Afghanistan is closely related to the peace and
stability in the region”.(PTI)